by Noah Shack
Government Relations Research Associate, Canada-Israel Committee
The Goldstone Report will be back on the table this week at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). After a failed attempt by Libya to have the Security Council take up the report’s findings, the Palestinian delegation to the UNHRC has successfully requested a special session be convened on October 15th to resume debate on the report.
The initial vote on a resolution endorsing the Goldstone Report was deferred to the next regular session of the UNHRC due to a request by the Palestinian delegation, allegedly to secure more broad based support for its findings. It appears that as a result of the political fallout of this decision, the Palestinians will now seek to pass it even without unanimous support at this week’s Special Session.
If this does indeed take place, it means the Goldstone findings would be fair game for discussion, debate, and resolutions at the UN Security Council and General Assembly.
UNOG Release:
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL TO HOLD SPECIAL SESSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY ON 15 OCTOBER
13 October 2009
The Human Rights Council will hold a Special Session on the “human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and East Jerusalem†on Thursday, 15 October 2009, starting 3 p.m. in Room XX of the Palais des Nations.
The holding of the Special Session comes at the request of Palestine. The request is co-sponsored by the following 18 Member States of the Human Rights Council, namely Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Indonesia, Jordan, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Senegal.
It is expected that the Special Session will continue on Friday, 16 October. This will be the twelfth Special Session of the Council.
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